The production of a number of materials such as paper, films, textiles, and floor coverings, is carried out by forming such materials as elongated webs of substantial length which are thereafter segmented by cutting to yield lengths which are usable by the customer. While the character of the material along the length of the web may appear to be uniform, in many instances there will be variations along the length of such webs. These variations may arise for example in the form of slightly modified construction techniques which are intentionally introduced and/or in the form of either instantaneous or running defects within the material forming the web.
As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, following production of the web material, the web may undergo an inspection process to identify the location and nature of variations along its length. Such inspection may be performed either manually and/or through use of automated equipment. In many instances it may be desirable to mark locations along the length of the material web by the placement of a removable label at such locations. In some instances, labels may be used to mark the location of abnormalities along the length of the material web. In other instances, it may be desirable to apply removable labels to segments of a material web which are destined for a particular customer or application. Such labels are generally removed at a later stage of processing and should thus be readily accessible for removal. At the same time, the labels must be held in place until removal is desired. Both the adhesion and removal of the labels must be carried out without causing damage to the material web.
In order to ensure easy removal of the applied labels, application generally takes place along the edge of the material web with a portion of the label projecting outwardly away from the edge of the web. Such placement permits the outwardly projecting portion to be grasped for removal. In order to prevent the outwardly projecting portion of the label from sticking to equipment or other structures outboard of the material web, it is known to utilize an adhesive pattern across the contact surface of the label such that one end of the label corresponding to the outwardly projecting portion is substantially free of adhesive.
Labels are typically stored in roll form on a carrier strip of paper or like material. The labels are peeled away from the carrier strip and applied to the edge of the material web at the desired locations. While prior labels of elongate rectangular geometry with an adhesive pattern having a single adhesive free end have typically performed well once they are applied, the use of such label elements gives rise to an inherent degree of complexity during application in that care must be taken to ensure that the labels are properly oriented relative to the edge of the material web before application can take place. That is, in order to ensure that the adhesive free zone protrudes away from the edge of the web material, the labels must be arranged differently on the carrier strip depending upon the arrangement of the material web and the application apparatus. Thus, if labels are to be applied to the material web using more than one system, rolls of labels having different orientations may be required. The use of such different labels may give rise to confusion and possible error.